So it's valentines day 2018 and my last blog entry was nearly a year ago, there's a very simple reason for this. I HATE WRITING BLOG POSTS! Infact, I hate writing in general. Mainly because I have dyslexia and if I'm honest I don't like doing things I'm not very good at.

What a turbulent year it was, I had some incredible highs and some horrific lows both in my personal and professional aspects.

I have moved house and been on a small path to self discovery, helping myself to become a better human and hopefully a better photographer. I have also started shooting video, mainly for Youtube but with the idea of being capable of shooting video for clients if needed. I want the vlogging to reach a point where clients want to hire me because of the exposure from vlogging also.

I am working with a couple of Mental Health charities, something that's become very close to my heart and something that has become important due to the last year.

I managed another 2 weeks in NYC. That place is truly home for me. I managed to surprise Dan (the guy who was my Air bnb originally) so that was pretty cool. I planning another month out there later this year. The idea of moving there is always at the front of mind but I suppose the current set up in the UK is as close to perfect as I'm going to get.

So here comes another promise to blog more and write down my journey. I truly do want to do it but I have a great time with task avoidance when I put "write blog post" in the planner. SO let's not call it a promise and let's say, I'm gonna try a little harder.

Please if you have the time check out my you tube channel and watch my videos, any feedback is more than welcome and it's a great way to connect with others so if you make videos or Vlog then please let me know, I'm always looking to collaborate.

This weekend I signed up for one of the toughest and scariest challenges I have ever faced. We've all heard of Tough Mudder, the endurance (10-12) miles challenge with over 20 hardcore obstacles chucked in for fun.

Well I have signed up to do Europe's Toughest Mudder. It's a 8 hours, through the night, freezing temperatures, endurance challenge. The date is 13th of May, it starts at midnight and ends at 8am, you don't stop, you don't give in. You literally go through Hell and back in order to achieve it.

I'm running this for a charity that has become very close to my heart over the last few months. My partners brother committed suicide and while I have been with her I have learnt so much of what men are going through in this complicated society today has become.

Hector's House is a charity which is there to raise awareness and prevent young men from feeling that they have no other choice than to end their lives. Something no Human should ever feel. Hector's House will use the money raised to

To help fund crisis lines

To help fund counselling, where there is a financial or access constraint

To provide financial resources and deliver education, in mental and emotional well-being

I'm asking you to please donate whatever you can spare. This money will directly go into saving another persons life. I'm sure we can all spare £5, £10, £20 in order to stop people feeling like their life is worthless. Suicide is not a mood that people get into. It's a terrible illness that is likely to be the killer of men aged under 45. Imagine that for a second THE BIGGEST KILLER OF MEN AGED UNDER 45 IN THE UK IS NOW SUICIDE. There are no words to describe how terrible that is...

In 2014, there were 6,109 suicides in the UK, of which 76%, or 4,623, were male, and suicide currently stands as the biggest single killer of men aged under 45 in this country. The ratio of male to female suicide has shown a sustained rise over the last 30 years. In 1981 men accounted for 62% of suicides in this country, which rose to 70% in 1988, 75% in 1995 and hit 78% in 2013.

Here's where you guys can help out. Please reach deep into your pockets and donate as much as you can, anything from a pound will change things. The link to Hectors House and my just giving page are below.

Thank you for your time and I hope to see your donations on my page very soon!!

So I went to New York City to be born again. It was and remains easy for most Americans to go somewhere else and start anew. I wasn’t like my parents. I didn’t have any supposedly sacred piece of land or shoals of friends to leave behind. Nowhere has the number zero been of more philisophical value than in the United States…. and when the [train] plunged into a tunnel under New York City, with its lining of pipes and wires, I was out of the womb and into the birth canal. Kurt Vonnegut

So the festive season has been and gone. I chose to spend it in the country with some very special people. it's odd for me to do as I'm not the biggest fan of the festive season, but it was actually pleasant and I feel fully recharged (even with the first day back to work gloom) I feel excited about the new year and I'm looking forward to pushing myself and photography further. I want to make some changes to my style and continue to grow my client base.

I'm going to spend the first couple months working on my marketing and trying to reach new potential clients. I have re-worked the way my portfolio is show and won't be relying on emails or calls to make first contact. I will also be working a personal project that will show you all once I'm underway. I will also hopefully becoming more involved in a new charity shooting some work for them and I do have a art project in mind that I would like to do.

Last year I had three very busy periods followed by the rest of the year being very slow and quiet. I need to find ways to either gain more work or spread it out a bit more. I'm going to put more into wedding and engagements, last year I shot 4/5 so a gain on that would be great. I have some images that I'm going to put in a PDF portfolio that will be linked on website. A friend of mine who is also a wedding photographer wants to try a joint venture. Which could be good!

Looking back on 2016, it was a good year for me. I grew as a photographer and don't think I was held back to much. I moved house and started another job away from photography which wasn't good. I very quickly realised this and changed it so I'm proud of that. My trip to New York was the highlight for me and it pains me overtime I see NYC on the TV. I'm going to head back for another month and hopefully shoot some more cool work while out there. I made some great contacts and clients in the UK and worked with some great people. I think overall 2016 was a good year and I'm hoping to move up and on this year!

So as my previous blog post explained I was heading off to New York for the month of September. I've been. I survived and now I'm back. What an amazing place that city is, truly it blew my mind.

So much so, that I've decided to apply to move out there.

I shot a lot less than I thought I would. Over the course of the month, I shot about once a week, which for me is a lot less than when I'm in the UK. The shoot's I did where great and were actually really exciting, I was a little annoyed with myself that I didn't get so much done but I felt like that because I'm coming back there's no rush.

The shoots I did where for McSorely's ale house, Bronx Brewery, Port Morris distillery and Tatscru, I will put a mixture of these images below with some more generic images of from NYC.